THE SPIDER CRABS OF AMERICA 15 



Diagnosis. — No spine at extremity of basal antennal article. 

 Carapace nearly naked. Rostrum usually much longer than carapace ; 

 palm much longer than fingers. 



Description. — Carapace naked or nearly so; 

 in the old the rostrum, chelipeds and legs are 

 pubescent. Rostrum horizontal, tapering 

 very gradually to an acuminate tip, length 

 varying from about one and a half to two 

 and a half times as long as carapace, occa- 

 sionally less than one and a half times; lateral 

 spinules directed obliquely forward; margins 

 also setiferous. A strong spine at middle of 

 basal antennal article, directed downward 

 and forward; no spine at anterior end. 

 Chelipeds and legs finely spinulous and armed """"^ 



besides with two rows of spines on the merus, ^ig. 3.-stenorynchus seti- 



• 1 • .1 1 • 1 CORNIS (9467), MAXILLIPED, X 7 



two or three spines on the carpus, besides 



several terminal spines on both articles. In old specimens the 

 distal end of palm and basal half of fingers are shaggy-hairy. Palm 

 of male cheliped from two and one-half to four times as long as 

 fingers. Ambulatory legs of first pair from eight to nine times the 

 length of the postrostral portion of carapace. 



Color. — Creamy white or buff, with bands of brown or black 

 diverging from the median line to the posterior margin; fingers blue; 

 spines of rostrum, legs, and teeth of chelae orange or red. (Hay.) 



"Light buff; chestnut and white lines; legs reddish with bright red 

 spots at joints. Claws bright purple." (Bartsch.) 



"Light orange vermilion; ends of claws mauve; eyes maroon." 

 (Bartsch.) 



Variation. — Although there is a great range of variation in this 

 species, as to length of rostrum, relative length of palm and fingers, 

 and length of legs, there is only one specimen (9862) which leans 

 toward L. dehilis; the rostrum is very little longer than the rest of 

 the carapace and inclines slightly upward from base to tip, and the 

 palm is one and a half times as long as the dactylus. 



Measurements. — Male (43066), length of carapace with rostrum 

 57.3, length of rostrum 41, width of carapace 13, length of palm 36.2, 

 of movable finger 11.6 mm. Male (32515), length of carapace with 

 rostrum, tip lacking, 63, length of rostrum 37.3, width of carapace 

 22, length of palm 43, of second leg 225 mm. 



Range. — From Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, to Rio de Janeiro, 

 Brazil; Bermudas; Madeira; Canaries; Cape Verde Islands; Senegal; 

 St. Thomas Island in Gulf of Guinea, off French Congo. "Mediter- 

 ranean" (Bosc, Latreille, Lamarck) needs confirmation. Depth, 

 2 to 814 fathoms, but usually moderate. 



Material examined. — See table, pages 16-18. 



